With frigid cold temperatures in the forecast, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency wants families and individuals to stay safe when faced with hazardously cold temperatures.

Andrew Velasquez, FEMA regional administrator, said subfreezing temperatures can be dangerous and even life-threatening for people who don’t take the proper precautions.

Following the Marshall County commissioners’ decision in March to pay the entirety of EMA Director Clyde Avery’s salary – roughly $40,000 – county council president Matt Hassel has expressed concerns over some possible side effects of that decision. The commissioners made the decision to cover the full cost of Avery’s salary, rather than allow half of it to be paid for through a FEMA grant, because the requirements for the grant have been steadily increasing over the last few years.

The Department of Homeland Security and FEMA have awarded Starke County with $11,412 to supplement emergency food and shelter programs in the county.

The Starke County Emergency Food and Shelter Board will determine how the funds will be distributed among the programs within the county that are run by local service agencies in the area.

Public or private voluntary agencies interested in applying for Emergency Food and Shelter Program funds must contact Joan Haugh at Community Services of Starke County at (574) 772-7070 for an application. Completed applications must be received by Dec. 17 at 4 p.m.

The Indiana DNR and other community officials have announced that the preliminary flood hazard maps for Pulaski County and its incorporated communities have been released by FEMA. The maps, when completed, will show flood risk throughout the county and determine whether property owners, with a federal or federally-insured loan, are required to carry flood insurance.

FEMA and the Indiana Department of Natural Resources will be hosting a Flood Risk Information Open House on Tuesday, April 17th from 4:00 to 7:00 p.m. at the Knox Community Center. The Open House will provide Starke County residents with an opportunity to review a recently completed preliminary Flood Insurance Study and its accompanying preliminary Flood Insurance Rate Maps.

With the holiday rush behind them, the shelves at the Community Services of Starke County Food Pantry are still fairly stocked. Joan Haugh, Director of Community Services of Starke County, told WKVI that their abundance of food is due in part to people with the holiday spirit.

When Ted Bombagetti was named the Emergency Management Agency Director, his appointment wasn’t without conditions. One such condition was that he monitor and file paperwork for various grants for the county. Bombagetti appeared before the county commissioners last week to give them an update on his success.